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Is it worth waiting for the iPhone 5?

G

GreenStripe

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 11, 2009
81
0
Hi! I just got out of my contract early thanks to sprint being awesome so now I'm on the hunt for my first ever iPhone. the things that matter most to me are speed of the UI, quality of the camera and cute case selections (sad?). I know the 5 is coming out soon, but if by soon that means october I definitely can't make that wait! Has anyone been in this position before and has some advice for me?? What would you do if you were in this spot?

It may seem like I'm super antsy to get an iphone but after waiting since the original one came out ive been wanting this so that should set the context!

Thanks!
 
Most predictions say the iPhone 5 will be released in Oct., but if you need a phone now, get one, otherwise I would wait. I'll be waiting for the release and I've had an upgrade available for a while.
 
The current iPhone 4S is an excellent model.

No one knows what to expect from the upcoming new model. Speaking from experience, if Apple creates a significant upgrade & redesign, chances are good it will have some bugs & other problems. Typically it's the year after a major upgrade that Apples product is well debugged and the one you want.

Decades of Apple experience have taught me newer is not always better despite the lofty marketing hype.

I've had every model of iPhone since day one... some were better than others. Last years iPhone 4 (an all new design) was a phone with a very poorly designed antenna. It wouldn't make calls in places that my prior years iPhone 3GS worked perfectly.

Conversely this years iPhone 4S, which looks identical, is a terrific phone. Apple fixed the antenna and now it's just great.

Personally, I'd buy now.
 
If you have a backup phone, use that for now until the new release. If you don't, buy the 4s.
If I were in your shoes, I would buy a cheap used phone and wait as you'll have the option to purchase the 4s if you do not like the design of the 5.
 
I'm not sure I can make it as well. I might get the 4s, I have the 4 now. I can always give my 4 to my wife and use the 4S.

I waited because I did not think the 4S was worth it. Not much of an upgrade from the 4. Only Siri

WT
 
My iPhone4 contract expired in February. I plan to hold out for the next generation unit. October seems light years away and it's driving me nuts.
 
I just ordered the iphone 4s. I am one of those people that has to have the newest and best but after buying 3 phones right when they come out I have had the worst luck with new phones. believe me when a phone first comes out there are so many bugs that have to be worked out. And as far as the new iphone coming out its going to be apples first 4g Iphone and every 4G phone that is out the battery life is horrible. I have a HTC thunderbolt 4g and it lasts about 4 hrs and i am on my 5th one. Get the 4s its been out and proved itself to be a great phone.
 
signal1 said:
I just ordered the iphone 4s. I am one of those people that has to have the newest and best but after buying 3 phones right when they come out I have had the worst luck with new phones. believe me when a phone first comes out there are so many bugs that have to be worked out. And as far as the new iphone coming out its going to be apples first 4g Iphone and every 4G phone that is out the battery life is horrible. I have a HTC thunderbolt 4g and it lasts about 4 hrs and i am on my 5th one. Get the 4s its been out and proved itself to be a great phone.
Click to expand...

I've had my iPhone 4 since launch day almost to years ago. No problems. Yea realllllll buggy :rolleyes:
 
x-evil-x said:
I've had my iPhone 4 since launch day almost to years ago. No problems. Yea realllllll buggy :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Thats what i love about Apple very few problems. But i am thinking this new iphone being 4g will begin its problems. I really hope not guess we will have to wait and see.
 
At this time of year it's a toss up. I would recommend waiting for the iPhone 5 if you can by purchasing a cheaper phone or something. However I understand the anticipation and amount of time is still a ways away and in that case the iPhone 4S is an excellent choice. Go with what's proven to be a good phone and still is a runner up to any phone right now (iPhone 4s).
 
Since you're a sucker for latest and greatest you might just wait. Go buy a IP4 off craigslist for the time being if you must have an iphone. You will regret it if you were to get locked into a contract and it turns out that you absolutely love the new IP5, you will be stuck trying to either sale your current phone or trying to hustle an early upgrade, all a hassle.
 
There are two timeframes for iPhone models: the "new" model (e.g. iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, etc.) and the "improved" model (e.g. iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4S, etc.).

You could make a case for either of the two.

On one hand, getting the latest and greatest model is cool to show off. If you were to wait for the new iPhone (i.e. "iPhone 5") you get the feeling of pride in getting all the new features that come with it. It's also fun to make other people jealous. :)

On the other hand, if you were to hop on the "S" train, you get an improved model of the iPhone that you can have right away. It fixes any kinks the original model had and usually have under the hood improvements.

So think of it like this. If you get the iPhone 4S now, then when it comes time to upgrade your phone in two years, you'll be able to get the iPhone 5S (or whatever they call it). The advantage is that you'll have an even better phone than the people who jumped at the first model.

Your call, but both have their advantages.
 
After trying the Windows Phone (Lumina 610) and the Galaxy Note, I decided not to wait. We don't even know if the iPhone 5 will be out in October.
 
iBrickedMyPsp said:
I've heard it comes out June but where are you guys hearing oct
Click to expand...

Nobody knows for sure but all the evidence point toward Apple not releasing iPhone this June which means most likely September-October.

This is a tough time to make the decision as iPhone 4S has just moved past the mid point of its probable life cycle. Personally I'd wait and see. But you'll probably still have 6 months to wait.

As others have said, perhaps a used iPhone might not be a bad idea if you really want an iPhone right now?

hajime said:
After trying the Windows Phone (Lumina 610) and the Galaxy Note, I decided not to wait. We don't even know if the iPhone 5 will be out in October.
Click to expand...

Apple won't delay the iPhone 5 release for too long and will definitely release something before holidays. I'm using a Windows Phone 7 and...it's pretty good for what it is and how dirt cheap they are nowadays.
 
fertilized-egg said:
Nobody knows for sure but all the evidence point toward Apple not releasing iPhone this June which means most likely September-October.

This is a tough time to make the decision as iPhone 4S has just moved past the mid point of its probable life cycle. Personally I'd wait and see. But you'll probably still have 6 months to wait.

As others have said, perhaps a used iPhone might not be a bad idea if you really want an iPhone right now?



Apple won't delay the iPhone 5 release for too long and will definitely release something before holidays. I'm using a Windows Phone 7 and...it's pretty good for what it is and how dirt cheap they are nowadays.
Click to expand...



Man... I say stick with buying just the 4 on craigslist lol. Whats the 4s have? siri? you can get the app spire from cydia with the right source. sure the dual core is great and extra cell battery but oh well. I'll probably just wait till next update. I'd just be extra mad if it turned out to be like a iphone 4s nano or something lol.
 
fertilized-egg said:
Apple won't delay the iPhone 5 release for too long and will definitely release something before holidays. I'm using a Windows Phone 7 and...it's pretty good for what it is and how dirt cheap they are nowadays.
Click to expand...

Which one are you using? I am considering to buy either the Galaxy Note or the Lumina 610/710 (as a "temporarily phone" to use until the end of the year).

I don't know when Apple will provide a larger screen for the iPhone. The Galaxy Note is good but there is a lag issue and sometimes the video playback quality is bad. The camera is very nice. I can also zoom in and out while taking the video. I don't know if the ICS will fix some of the current problems. It may be less stable than the current version of Android. I am waiting for reviews. The Galaxy Note 2 may come at the end of the year. Nobody knows. As for the Windows Phones, there is no telling if they will run Windows Phones 8. Also, from the reviews, the camera inside any of the currently available Windows Phones is not good. So, perhaps the best strategy is to just get a low cost but still capable phone such as the Lumina 610. Any opinion? As I am not living in the US and move around often, I don't buy from the carrier.
 
Last edited:
iBrickedMyPsp said:
Man... I say stick with buying just the 4 on craigslist lol. Whats the 4s have? siri? you can get the app spire from cydia with the right source. sure the dual core is great and extra cell battery but oh well. I'll probably just wait till next update. I'd just be extra mad if it turned out to be like a iphone 4s nano or something lol.
Click to expand...

There is several improvements from iphone 4 to 4s correct me if i am wrong
5 MP Camera to 8 MP
No Face Detection to Having Face Detection
Records video at 720P to 1080P
Bluetooth 2.1 to 4.0
Not global ready to Global ready
Single core 1GHZ processor to Dual Core
1420 mah battery to 2100 mah battery (i think)
I think they fixed the antenna prob in 4s
i believe the iphone 4 is only 8 gig and 4s has 16,32 and 64 gig
and of course SIRI :)
 
Last edited:
signal1 said:
There is several improvements from iphone 4 to 4s correct me if i am wrong
5 MP Camera to 8 MP
No Face Detection to Having Face Detection
Records video at 720P to 1080P
Bluetooth 2.1 to 4.0
Not global ready to Global ready
Single core 1GHZ processor to Dual Core
1420 mah battery to 2100 mah battery (i think)
I think they fixed the antenna prob in 4s
i believe the iphone 4 is only 8 gig and 4s has 16,32 and 64 gig
and of course SIRI :)
Click to expand...
What percentage of iPhone users even notice or care about these feature differences between the iPhone 4 and the 4S you think? Only geeks care about stuff like 5MP vs 8MP, Bluetooth 4.0, global ready and stuff like that. The truth remains that the 4 to 4S upgrade remains one of the most undesirable ever. Getting an iPhone 4S only makes sense if one was upgrading from the 3GS or was a first time iPhone user.
 
saintforlife said:
What percentage of iPhone users even notice or care about these feature differences between the iPhone 4 and the 4S you think? Only geeks care about stuff like 5MP vs 8MP, Bluetooth 4.0, global ready and stuff like that. The truth remains that the 4 to 4S upgrade remains one of the most undesirable ever. Getting an iPhone 4S only makes sense if one was upgrading from the 3GS or was a first time iPhone user.
Click to expand...

I totally agree i was just listing the differences
 
hajime said:
Which one are you using? I am considering to buy either the Galaxy Note or the Lumina 610/710 (as a "temporarily phone" to use until the end of the year).
Click to expand...

LG Optimus 7 which is the older first generation model. After dealing with Android for while, I wanted a cheap phone that just works and has a good virtual keyboard until I am truly ready to lock myself into a contract. It fits the bill well.

hajime said:
I don't know when Apple will provide a larger screen for the iPhone. The Galaxy Note is good but there is a lag issue and sometimes the video playback quality is bad.
Click to expand...

From what I've read, the next iPhone this year is very likely to have a larger display although it still might not big enough for those who are looking for a ~4.7" phone.

That's my impression with the Galaxy Note as well. It felt significantly laggier than the older Galaxy S2. Perhaps because of the higher resolution?

hajime said:
So, perhaps the best strategy is to just get a low cost but still capable phone such as the Lumina 610. Any opinion? As I am not living in the US and move around often, I don't buy from the carrier.
Click to expand...

The Lumia 710 is probably your best bet. It's just as fast as the more expensive 800/900 (same RAM and CPU) and costs only $250 or even less from ebay. The 610 is significantly inferior and I'd stay away from it. Also the 710 is a pentaband phone so if you ever decide to move to the USA and be with T-Mobile...it works with them too as well. The hardware itself and the display are ho-hum..but it's cheap.

But of course, that's all assuming you can live with Windows Phone 7. It's a nice OS that's really smooth and responsive but has a ton of problems as well. I don't know if I'd recommend this over other operating systems unless you know what you're getting into.

saintforlife said:
What percentage of iPhone users even notice or care about these feature differences between the iPhone 4 and the 4S you think? ... Getting an iPhone 4S only makes sense if one was upgrading from the 3GS or was a first time iPhone user.
Click to expand...

There's one thing that makes me worry though. The graphic on 4S is much much much faster than 4. If you care about fancy gaming, 4S might be worthwhile in the long run.
 
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